With one race under his belt since being diagnosed and treated for acute rental failure, Eric McClure traveled to the Bluegrass State to compete in Saturday night’s Kentucky 300 at the Kentucky Speedway.  After posting the 25^th fastest time in qualifying, McClure battled handling issues throughout the majority of the event and in the end was credited with a 24^th-place finish.

McClure started and maintained the 25^th position in the opening laps, despite battling a car that was loose on entry and tight in the center of the turns.  When the competition caution flag waved on lap 25, McClure brought his No. 14 Hefty® Ultimate™/Reynolds® Camry to the attention of his crew where they changed four tires, added fuel, and made an air-pressure adjustment in hopes of alleviating the handling issues.  As the race continued, the handling worsened and McClure slipped to the 28^th position. 

When the event’s third caution flag waved on lap 60, McClure again brought his car to pit road for four tires, fuel and an assortment of adjustments to help the car’s drivability.  When the race resumed, McClure was scored in the 24^th position.  Despite losing two positions on the restart, the Virginia driver was able to regain the positions lost by lap 75 and was able to maintain the position through the halfway point of the race.

Shortly after halfway, on lap 105, the event’s fourth caution flag waved.  Although the adjustments made during the previous caution period slightly helped the car’s handling, the silver, orange, and blue Camry still wasn’t to McClure’s liking.  After visiting pit road twice during the caution period for four tires, fuel, and another chassis adjustment to aid in the handling, McClure returned to the track in the 27^th position, one lap down to the race leader, for the lap 111 restart.

As the race continued, the car’s handling changed from being too loose on entry to being too tight in the center of the turns.  As a result, McClure lost another lap to the race leader on lap 138.  Green flag pit stops began around lap 159 with McClure bringing his car to pit road on lap 161 for four tires, fuel, and a track-bar adjustment.  Just as McClure returned to the track, the event’s sixth caution flag waved, trapping the Virginia driver two additional laps down to the race leader.  Having just pitted, the Hefty® Ultimate™/Reynolds® car remained on track and took the wave around.  When the race resumed, McClure was scored in the 26^th position, three laps down to the race leader.

In the final 30 laps, the race was slowed three additional times for single car incidents; McClure remained on track during all three.  On the final restart, with 10 laps remaining, McClure was scored in the 25^th position and with one to go, he was able to advance one position to finish the Kentucky 300 in the 24^th position.

Driver, Eric McClure Quotes:

“Tonight was a battle.  We started out okay but then we ran into some obstacles.  We had to make an extra pit stop under caution for fuel and then got trapped by a caution after a green flag stop.  We just had to fight back all night, but the guys worked hard and we will get some good luck as some point.”

TMI PR

RAB Racing with Brack Maggard and the No. 99 ToyotaCare Camry with driver Alex Bowman came into Kentucky Speedway with one simple goal, to improve on their tenth place finish at the speedway last June. Their goal became more difficult as the scheduled two and a half hours of practice were cut down to only thirty minutes, after rain interrupted the first session and canceled the second and final session. After recording the 19th fastest lap in the first practice session and qualifying in the 20th position, the No. 99 team were still confident for the Kentucky 300 as crew chief Chris Rice had a strategic plan to get to the front.

The green flag flew on the 200 lap event and the plan that crew chief Rice had in place worked perfectly as Bowman immediately began moving through the field. Rice had purposely kept the No. 99 on the tight side all weekend as he knew the race track would lose grip throughout the nighttime event. With only thirty laps completed Bowman was already knocking on the door of the top 10, running in the eleventh position and consistently completing laps at the same speed the as the top 5. It was evident early in the event that Bowman had a fast car, owner and general manager Robby Benton who is also the spotter for the No. 99 cautioned the rookie driver, telling him to save his equipment for the end of the race. Bowman did just that and ran in the top 10 the rest of the night, through fast pit stops, small car setup adjustments from Rice, and daring three-wide passes on restarts. On the second to last restart of the night, with only 14 laps to go, Bowman made the move that would ultimately set him up for a top 5 finish. In the very first corner Bowman shot to the bottom to make it three wide and went from ninth position to fourth position, and after a fierce battle with the Nationwide Series points leader Sam Hornish Jr., Bowman finished in the fifth position. The fifth place finish was the team's second of the season, and was the 16th top 15 finish in only 27 races so far this year. Bowman also received the Sunoco Rookie of the Race award, and was the highest finishing Toyota Camry.

Alex Bowman: "If you would have told me at the beginning of the night we would have a top 5 finish, and be the highest finishing Toyota Camry I wouldn't have believed you, but my crew chief Chris Rice had a plan this entire weekend. The car setup he utilized just wasn't fast for one or two laps, but over a long green flag run where handling came into the equation we were as good as anyone in the field. I have to give a lot of credit to our RAB Racing pit crew and crew chief Chris Rice, we had a really fast ToyotaCare Camry all night and with the right adjustments at the right time and fast pit stops they put me in position to capitalize on other's mistakes. I had a lot of fun tonight racing some really great competitors, racing really tight in three wide battles and have always enjoyed the track here at Kentucky Speedway, so I will have a smile on my face for a few days. Next week will be a challenge as we just haven't mastered the "Monster Mile" in Dover, Delaware but this will definitely give us some momentum."

With his fifth place finish Bowman was able to gain a considerable amount of ground on the top 10 in the driver point standings, but stayed in the 11th position, 44 points out of 10th position. Robby Benton also gained ground in the owner point standings but maintained his 16th position, only 44 points out of the 13th position. The next race for the NASCAR Nationwide Series is the One Main Financial 200 at Dover International Speedway on Saturday, September 28th. The race will be televised live on ESPN2 and can be heard on SIRIUS Satellite Radio and MRN Radio.

RAB Racing PR

Parker Kligerman was on the cusp of a top-five finish, battling side-by-side with Brian Vickers for the sixth spot in the closing laps of the Kentucky 300 at Kentucky Speedway in Sparta when Cole Whitt unsuccessfully tried to make things three-wide and sent the No. 77 Camp Horsin' Around Camry into the outside wall down the frontstretch.  Unable to finish the race due to the extensive damage, Kligerman and his Kyle Busch Motorsports (KBM) crew were relegated to a 29^th-place finish.

"First of all, I have to congratulate Ryan Blaney on getting the win tonight -- it's cool to see when somebody takes advantage of the opportunity given to them," Kligerman said. "We were battling side-by-side with the 20 down the frontstretch and the 44 decided to make things three wide in a spot on the track where everyone knows you can't go three wide -- not really sure what he was thinking, everybody knows that as you head down into Turn 1 your fighting for that one groove. It's too bad for everybody on this No. 77 Camp Horsin' Around team, we had a strong run going and it was going to be a solid points day until someone just made an idiotic move and ruined it." 

Kligerman started Saturday night's race from the 11^th spot and had advanced into the ninth spot when the competition caution slowed the field for the first time on lap 26. The 23-year-old communicated that his Camry was "pretty tight" during the run and when pit road opened, he was given a fresh set of right side tires and a full tank of fuel. He returned to the track scored in the eighth spot for the lap-30 restart.

Shortly after the restart, Justin Allgaier dove to the inside of Kligerman and got loose underneath him. The No. 31 shot up the track and pushed the No. 77 into the rubbish near the outside wall. By the time that the talented youngster gathered his Camp Horsin' Around Toyota he had fallen back to the 23^rd spot. When a two car accident occurred on lap 38, KBM's Camry was scored in the 20^th spot.

Crew chief Eric Phillips summoned his young driver to pit road, where the over-the-wall crew administered a four-tire and fuel stop with a wedge adjustment. Kligerman took the lap-41 restart from the 25^th spot and by the time the third caution of the race flew on lap 61 advanced up to the 16^th spot. Still reporting that his Camry was "tight center and off," the team made another four-tire and fuel stop and another round of adjustments.

As the race approached the halfway mark, the Camp Horsin' Around Camry ran just outside the top 10. Fluid on the track slowed the field for the fourth time on lap 106 and once again the No. 77 team elected to pit for four fresh tires and a trackbar adjustment. The crew returned their young driver to the track scored in the 12^th position for the ensuing restart.

On lap 125, Kligerman broke back into the top 10 for the first time since his incident with Allgaier on lap 31. The Connecticut native had maneuvered his way into the eighth spot just before the sixth caution of the race occurred on lap 163. He reported that his Toyota was "still really tight and got tighter as the run went along." Looking to improve track position for the closing laps, Phillips called for a two-tire stop. With lead lap cars on varying strategies, Kligerman took the lap-172 restart from the ninth spot.

The 23-year-old driver got hung out on the restart and had lost one position when the seventh caution slowed the field on lap 175. On the ensuing restart, Kligerman made a strong charge on the outside and by the time the field crossed the stripe one lap later he had advanced into the sixth spot. He was in a side-by-side battle for that position when a one-car spin slowed the field on lap 182. NASCAR officials radioed that the No. 77 Camp Horsin' Around Camry would be scored in the seventh spot behind the 20 car for the restart. Shortly after the field went back to green-flag conditions, Whitt ended the team's bid for a top-five finish and caused extensive damage to the team's Toyota.

Ryan Blaney picked up his first career Nationwide Series victory in just his 15^th series start. Austin Dillon finished 2.017 seconds behind Blaney in the runner-up spot. NASCAR Camping World Truck Series points leader Matt Crafton and NASCAR Nationwide Series points leader Sam Hornish Jr. were fourth and fifth respectively. Alex Bowman, driving a KBM Chassis, rounded out the top-five finishers.

There were nine caution periods totaling 44 laps. Six drivers led a lap, exchanging the lead six times. Twelve drivers failed to finish the 200-lap event.

Kligerman remains 10^th in the Nationwide Series championship standings with 27 of 33 races complete, 179 points behind Hornish Jr. The Kyle Busch owned No. 77 team ranks 13^th in the owner's championship standings, 302 points behind the series-leading No. 22 team.

The No. 77 Toyota Racing team heads to Dover (Del.) International Speedway Sept. 28 for race No. 28 on the schedule. Live television coverage of Saturday's 200-lap event begins with NASCAR Countdown at 3:30 p.m. ET on ESPN 2.

KBM PR

Roush Fenway Racing’s Travis Pastrana and the No. 60 Ford Mustang finished 34^thin Saturday’s NASCAR Nationwide Series (NNS) night race at Kentucky Speedway after an accident forced the team to retire from the race.

The NNS visited Kentucky Speedway for the second time of the season for another race under the lights.  Rain midway through Friday’s first practice session ended practice early and cancelled the second session of the day.

On Saturday afternoon, Pastrana qualified his No. 60 Ford Mustang in eighth.  Under a setting sun, the NNS cars took the green flag for a 300-mile race at the 1.5-mile course.  Pastrana immediately began moving his way forward, jumping up to fifth by Lap 2.

Pastrana remained in fifth, until the Lap 25 competition caution.  Pastrana told the crew that his car was just a tick free on entry and a little tight in the center.  Crew Chief Chad Norris radioed the No. 60 down pit road to take four tires and fuel, as well as a slight wedge adjustment.

Several teams opted to take two tires, which dropped the No. 60 to 12^th for the restart.  Immediately after the restart, Pastrana informed the crew that the car was much looser after the first pit stop of the day.

Six laps later on Lap 36, contact from the No. 3 of Austin Dillon sent Pastrana for a spin.  The No. 60 came down pit road early, to avoid damage from flat tires.  The team bolted on four fresh Goodyear tires and added fuel.  Pastrana visited pit road again under this caution for a track bar adjustment to help the chassis.

After the spin and two pit stops, Pastrana restarted 27^th.  When the race restarted on Lap 41, Pastrana was quiet on the radio as he tried to work his way through the pack.  On Lap 60 Pastrana lost control of the No. 60 and spun in the middle of Turns 3 and 4.  The nose of the car then made contact with the wall.

Pastrana was unable to drive the car back to the garage and after evaluating the damage, the team retired from the race, ultimately finishing 34^th.

RFR PR

In his NASCAR Nationwide Series (NNS) debut, Jeb Burton impressed with a hard fought eighth-place finish at Kentucky Speedway. The 21-year-old NASCAR Camping World Truck Series (NCWTS) regular and championship contender hit the 1.5-mile track in the No. 34 Arrowhead/Kangaroo Express Chevrolet Camaro with hopes of a top-10 finish, but things took a turn for the worst when the weekend's two practice sessions were drastically effected by rain in the area. With just 20 laps of experience in his NNS car, Burton managed to qualify the No. 34 Camaro in 13th position. After many tight battles in the Kentucky 300, Burton and his Turner Scott Motorsports (TSM) team crossed the finish line in eighth place, far exceeding expectations for their NNS debut.

Burton and his team entered the two-day event with knowledge of the Sparta, Kentucky track, having scored a top-10 finish at the speedway months ago in the NCWTS. Competing in a NNS car, however, was something that Burton did not have familiarity with. The TSM team tested in the Camaro at Nashville Speedway weeks prior to their debut but hoped for as much time on the track as possible for Burton to adjust and get comfortable. As the weekend's first practice session approached on Friday, all eyes were on the weather radar as the threat of rain began to increase. With the track green and the weather holding off, Burton and the No. 34 Arrowhead/Kangaroo Express car hit the pavement and began to make adjustments. The weather didn't hold off for long and after only 20 laps on the track, NASCAR called the first practice. Efforts to dry the track were ineffective as more rain moved into the area, ultimately forcing NASCAR to cancel the second practice along with all track activity for the remainder of the day.

Retuning to the speedway under clear skies on Saturday, Burton took a shot in an unfamiliar racecar and managed to qualify in 13th position for the Kentucky 300. As the green flag dropped, the No. 34 car quickly jumped into the top 10 and remained there until a competition caution came out on lap 27. Burton came down pit road to receive four tires, fuel and a small adjustment, restarting outside the top 10. The young driver communicated to crew chief Mike Hillman Jr. that he was extremely tight and it was clear because Burton quickly dropped to 18th position. Hillman told Burton to keep racing hard and they would take a big swing at the adjustments during the next pit stop. Remaining out during the second caution on lap 38, the track went yellow again on lap 62, giving the No. 34 team an opportunity to make changes. After receiving four tires, fuel and making both air-pressure and wedge adjustments, Burton restarted among the top 15 but fell to 17th position, remaining there throughout a long green-flag run.

By lap 107, the yellow flag had dropped again and the No. 34 Arrowhead/Kangaroo Express car visited pit road to receive four new tires, fuel and a track-bar adjustment. After another caution arose, Burton reported that the car was still tight all around but felt like it was coming to life. Hanging inside the top 20, Burton and another competitor made contact during a long green-flag run, forcing the sixth caution of the night to arise. Burton received the free pass from NASCAR and quickly climbed back into the top 15 before another caution on lap 175. Hillman called Burton down pit road to receive four tires, fuel and repair minimal damage to the No. 34's nose.

With 20 laps remaining, Burton radioed to Hillman, "I'm really loose and feel sideways like I did at Eldora. This is fun!" Following two more cautions, Burton managed to gain multiple track positions on the restarts and a top-10 finish quickly became a reality. The impressive 21-year old rookie crossed the finish line in 8th place in his first-ever NNS race.

"This race was a lot of fun," said Burton. "The style and feel is completely different from trucks. I think if we had gotten more time in the car during practice, we could've run in the top five. But hey, for getting only 20 laps in the car before racing it, I think a top-10 finish is a win for us. I'm really thankful for my Turner Scott Motorsports team. Today just showed how hard working and awesome these guys are. We learned a lot, had fun and now we're even more ready for Vegas."

TSM PR

Kyle Larson came to Kentucky Speedway hoping to rebound from a rough weekend last time out in the NASCAR Nationwide Series (NNS) at Chicagoland Speedway. After finishing 10th in his NASCAR Camping World Truck Series debut at Kentucky Speedway last summer, and earning a seventh-place finish in the first NNS race at the 1.5-mile track this season, Larson and his No. 32 Clear Men team looked for a solid night in Sparta. Unfortunately, Larson experienced a series of issues, first encountering a fueling problem, then pitting for a loose wheel and finally being forced to retire from the race after experiencing a wheel hub failure, which resulted in a 33rd-place finish.

The weekend started off strong for Larson and his Turner Scott Motorsports team, as they had the fifth-quickest time in the rain-shortened practice session on Friday afternoon. With final practice washed out by the rain, the No. 32 Clear Men team wasn't sure what to expect in qualifying on Saturday afternoon. After qualifying 19th, Larson explained to his team that despite being slower than they wanted, he still felt good about their car for Saturday night's 200-lap race.

Larson rolled off 19th in the No. 32 Clear Men Scalp Therapy Chevrolet Camaro, but quickly gained several spots, entering the top 15 on lap four. Larson reported that his Chevy was tight everywhere, but he maintained the 14th position until NASCAR called a competition caution on lap 26. Larson reported that his car was now a little free into the corners, but tight center off, so crew chief Trent Owens called his driver to pit road for four tires, fuel and air-pressure and wedge adjustments. Larson restarted in 15th on lap 31 and found himself in a five-wide battle, where he was able to gain positions. The Sunoco Rookie of the Year contender took over the 11th position on lap 36 when the second caution flag waved. Larson radioed his crew to say that his car felt much better after the adjustments made on the previous pit stop, and Owens made the call for Larson to remain on the track.

After restarting in 11th on lap 42, Larson took over the 10th spot just before the caution flag was displayed again. This time, Owens brought Larson back to pit road for four tires, fuel and an air-pressure adjustment. The No. 32 Turner Scott Motorsports team quickly realized that no fuel had made it into the car and Larson returned to pit road under caution to remedy the fueling issue. Larson restarted in 27th position on lap 69 and worked his way to 21st before radioing his team to report a vibration on lap 72. After explaining that the vibration seemed to be in his right front and was worse in the corners, Owens immediately brought Larson back to pit road to change four tires. The crew discovered that they had a loose wheel, and Larson reported that his vibration was gone after he returned to the track.

Following his unscheduled green-flag stop, Larson was scored in the 29th position, the second car one lap down. The 21-year-old gained a spot on lap 84 and put himself into position to receive the free pass if the caution flag waved again. Owens let his driver know that he was running times as fast as the leader of the race, and Larson set out to maintain his pace. However, on lap 99 Larson reported another vibration and then radioed to say that he had no brakes. Owens called Larson into the garage, and the Clear Men team diagnosed a broken wheel hub in the right front of the No. 32 machine. Unable to finish the race, Larson was relegated to a 33rd-place finish.

"We had a good car, and we were running good lap times," commented Larson. "Unfortunately, we just had another night of bad luck. That seems to be the way things are going for my Turner Scott Motorsports team and I lately. It's great that we keep showing up to the track with such solid race cars, but we want to be able to capitalize on that and get the finishes that this team deserves. Hopefully we'll go to Dover and have better luck there."

TSM PR

The NASCAR Nationwide Series (NNS) made its second and final stop of the season at Kentucky Speedway for the final night race of the year  Friday was a wet one at Kentucky with rain forecasted most of the day, including during practice. The first practice session on Friday afternoon started on time, but only lasted for about 40 minutes of the originally scheduled 1 hour, 30 minute session due to rain. After a break in the weather, the track began the drying process with hopes of getting the final NNS practice session in. Unfortunately, more rain fell and NASCAR ultimately cancelled the final practice session. Shortened practice didn't stop Allgaier from continuing his qualifying streak of all top-10 starting spots at Kentucky. He posted the ninth-fastest lap time at 30.616 seconds. After being moved to the rear of the field for the start of the Kentucky 300 Allgaier worked his way up to the top-10. With a tire going down in the closing laps, Allgaier was able to hang on to the No. 31 BRANDT Professional Agriculture Chevrolet Camaro and bring it home in the 17th position for Turner Scott Motorsports.

Saturday night's green flag waved under clear skies and cool conditions at Kentucky. Allgaier was moved to the rear of the field during the pace laps for unapproved adjustments. Even though he started in the back, Allgaier was able to work his way to the 16th position by lap 18. Allgaier maintained the 16th position until the competition caution came out at lap 27. Allgaier radioed to crew chief Scott Zipadelli that he needed help turning in the center, but that his entry was stable. After visiting pit road for two right-side tires, fuel and an air-pressure adjustment, Allgaier restarted 10th on lap 30. Unfortunately, on lap 31 Allgaier made contact with another competitor causing him to slip back to the 16th position. During the second caution on lap 38, Allgaier stayed out on the track and restarted 13th on lap 41. Allgaier worked his way to the 12th position by lap 56 and he reported his No. 31 BRANDT Chevy was free in and tight off during the run. When the third caution of the race came out at lap 62, Allgaier came down pit road for Sunoco fuel, four Goodyear tires and a track-bar adjustment. He restarted 13th on lap 69. After settling in for a long green-flag run, Allgaier was 15th when the fourth caution came out at lap 107. During the caution, Allgaier reported to Zipadelli that he was fighting a loose condition, so Zipadelli called him down pit road for two right-side tires, fuel and adjustments. After restarting in the seventh position, Allgaier maintained the spot until lap 124 when the No. 33 made contact with Allgaier's No. 31 BRANDT Chevy, causing him to brush the wall and sending him back to the 12th position.

After settling in for the second long green-flag run of the race, Allgaier reported that his No. 31 BRANDT Chevy had really tightened up after brushing the wall. Zipadelli made the call for a scheduled green-flag pit stop on lap 162 for Allgaier to get two right-side tires, fuel and adjustments. Unfortunately, while the No. 31 BRANDT Chevy was on pit road the six caution of the race came out, putting Allgaier and everyone else who had pitted one lap down. Allgaier was able to take the wave around to gain his lap back and on lap 173, he restarted in the 16th position. After another quick caution on lap 175, Allgaier told the BRANDT racing team that his car was better than the cars around him and that he just need track position. After restarting 16th on lap 178, Allgaier quickly worked his way up to the 11th position on lap 178 before the eighth caution came out at lap 183. Zipadelli called for Allgaier to come down pit road for four tires, one can of Sunoco fuel and adjustments. Again Allgaier restarted 16th but after another quick caution, he was in the 12th position on lap 193. Unfortunately, Allgaier had a tire going down in the closing laps of the Kentucky 300, which led him to a 17th-place finish in the No. 31 BRANDT Chevrolet Camaro for Turner Scott Motorsports.  

"We had a good weekend going at Kentucky [Speedway]," said Allgaier. "The rain obviously wasn't ideal, but we were able to get in a little bit of practice. It was nice to continue my streak of all top-10 starts at Kentucky. Unfortunately, we just didn't have some of the luck we needed. We started in the rear, and worked our way up through the field. Then we made contact with a car and that sent us into the wall, which caused some damage. I was just trying to hang on to the BRANDT Camaro at the end of the race. After the race was over, my crew guys found out I had a tire going down which would explain why we fell back at the end. I'm looking forward to moving on to Dover."

TSM PR

A month after becoming the youngest winner in NASCAR K&N Pro Series history, the 15-year-old from Ladera Ranch, Calif., returned to Victory Lane Saturday in the North American Power 150 at New Hampshire Motor Speedway.

Custer, the son of Stewart-Haas Racing executive Joe Custer, was making just his 12th career NASCAR K&N Pro Series East start and had a dominating weekend. He was fastest in Friday practice, won the 21 Means 21 Pole Award presented by Coors Brewing, and led a race-high 60 laps.

He also won from the pole Aug. 2 at Iowa Speedway.

Daniel Suarez finished second for his fifth top three finish in his last six races, while Cale Conley was third. Rookie Ben Rhodes crossed the line fourth and Dylan Presnell finished a career-best fifth. Rookie Jesse Little took home sixth.

Brett Moffitt finished seventh and cut Dylan Kwasniewski's points lead to 23 with two races remaining. Kwasniewski was involved in a Lap 34 wreck after a spin battling Custer for the lead and finished a season-worst 24th.

Rookies Gray Gaulding, Mackena Bell and Ronnie Bassett Jr. rounded out the top 10.

Custer has four top-five finishes through those first 12 K&N Pro Series East outings, and all four have come at national series tracks. In addition to a pair of top fives at Iowa, he also finished on the podium at Richmond International Raceway.

The Iowa victory made Custer the youngest winner in K&N Pro Series East history overall. On Saturday, he etched his name in the record book as the series’ youngest winner at the “Magic Mile,” a place that the K&N East has visited more times than any other facility in its history.

“The guys bring a great car to the track,” Custer said. “I have to thank Gene Haas and Haas Automation. All of the guys did a great job. The car was perfect.”

The New Hampshire win came in a much different fashion for Custer than Iowa, where he ran at the front mostly unchallenged from start to finish. On Saturday he had a number of challengers and had to hold off Suarez on a green-white-checkered flag finish.

“This one was a lot more hectic,” Custer said of the New Hampshire win compared to Iowa. “A lot of the guys are from up here so we really wanted to win this race. It feels really good, all of my guys are really excited.”

The race featured a season-high six lead changes among five drivers and was slowed by eight cautions and one red flag for the multi-car accident that collected two of the top three in the standings in Kwasniewski and Ben Kennedy.

The North American Power 100 will air on Fox Sports 1 on Friday, Oct. 4.

The NASCAR K&N Pro Series East will next race in the Drive Sober 150 at Dover International Speedway on Friday, Sept. 27.

NASCAR PR

Gilford, N.H. native Cory Joyce and the No. 39 Caplin Family (CF) Charities Chevrolet team finished 21st at New Hampshire Motor Speedway on Saturday, September 21, in the driver's NASCAR K&N Pro Series East debut.  The 21-year-old, who grew up just 20 miles from the track, was racing three-wide for the 10th position when he was involved in an accident forcing him to retire from the 100-lap event.

Racing at New Hampshire Motor Speedway for the first time in his career, Joyce prepared for Saturday's North American Power 100 with a 90-minute practice session.  The team worked through a variety of setup options as Joyce became comfortable behind the wheel, and the No. 39 CF Charities Chevrolet team learned the young driver's style.  After ranking 21st in practice, Joyce got loose during his qualifying attempt to secure the 29th starting position on Friday afternoon. 

Competing for the first time in a K&N Pro Series East stock car, Joyce spent the early laps of the race trying to learn.  Running both the high line and low line, Joyce evaluated his car during the early laps to provide feedback and improve the No. 39 CF Charities Chevrolet.  With a loose car, Joyce changed the balance of his brakes and came down pit road for a trackbar adjustment during the opening caution period. 

Things got dicey on the track when a multi-car wreck broke out between turns one and two.  Joyce went high to avoid the accident, but got turned from behind and was sent spinning across the track.  Avoiding any additional contact, Joyce was able to continue in the event and raced up to the 12th position.  The fourth caution flag of the day on lap 44 led to the halfway break where teams were able to take 10 minutes to change tires and make adjustments to their cars.  Joyce evaluated the handling of his car and dissected the corners of the 1.058-mile track.  The CF Charities team made a series of adjustments, and the changes helped Joyce navigate the corners and continue his forward charge. 

On lap 76, Joyce was engaged in a three-wide battle with the No. 34 and No. 89 car for the 10th position.  Racing in the top groove, the competitor in the lowest groove (No. 34) moved up the track causing contact with the car in the middle groove (No. 89).  The No. 89 car pushed into Joyce's CF Charities Chevrolet as the No. 34 was turned sideways in front of Joyce.  With severe damage to the nose of his car, Joyce retired from the event and was credited with a 21st-place finish. 

"Obviously it wasn't the finish we wanted, but I had such a great time at New Hampshire Motor Speedway this weekend," commented Joyce.  "Our No. 39 CF Charities Chevrolet team prepared a great car, and I was able to get a lot of seat time and learn a lot about these race cars.  It was very special to me to be able to make my NASCAR K&N Pro Series East debut at my home track.  The support that I had from everyone-from my sponsor CF Charities and the Caplin family, to my parents, to my friends and family in the area-made this an unforgettable experience.  We need to gather some additional funding, but I hope to be back in the K&N Pro Series again next season." 

CJR PR

Bobby East continued the championship tradition for Tony Stewart Racing (TSR) Saturday night at the famed Eldora Speedway in Rossburg, Ohio, by earning his second consecutive USAC TRAXXAS Silver Crown Series title.

East, in his second year with Tony Stewart/Curb-Agajanian Racing, drove his No. 10 Chevrolet Performance/Curb/Beast machine to a sixth-place finish in the 4-Crown Nationals at Eldora. He ended the season with 387 points, six more than runner up Chris Windom. East is the second TSR driver to earn back-to-back Silver Crown titles. The recently retired Levi Jones won the Silver Crown championship in 2010 and 2011.

“This is a great feeling to win our second USAC Silver Crown title,” said East, the 32nd series champion in Silver Crown’s 42-year history. “Last year, we had the perfect scenario of winning the final race and the championship, but tonight we came up a little short in winning the race, but we still got the championship.

“This has been a tough year in a lot of ways. I had the privilege of watching Jason (Leffler) race here (Eldora) many times and have nights just like we had. He was always the first to tell me that a championship isn’t won in a single night, that it takes a whole season. I learned a lot from him and I’m proud to dedicate this year’s championship to his memory.”

A native of Pittsboro, Ind., the 28-year-old East has continued a winning legacy between the East and Stewart names. Bob East Sr. and Stewart, the three-time NASCAR Sprint Cup Series champion, were co-owners of a team that captured four consecutive Silver Crown owner championships between 2002 and 2005.

This year’s Silver Crown championship is Stewart’s 13th as a USAC car owner. Stewart has seven Silver Crown championships and six Sprint Car titles. Stewart now has 17 total owner championships, as TSR is a four-time winner of the World of Outlaws STP Sprint Car Series championship (2001, 2008, 2009 and 2012).

“Winning championships is the result of so many people working toward one goal,” Stewart said. “There is a tremendous amount of pride in winning championships from all of us at TSR and Curb-Agajanian. Bobby and the entire team did a great job again this season winning another USAC Silver Crown championship, which I consider to be one of the most competitive series in all of racing. To win another championship with Curb and our fourth with Chevrolet Performance makes this even more special. We can’t compete at a championship level without these partnerships.”

“We are excited and proud to be associated with Tony Stewart and Bobby East,” said Mike Curb, chairman of Curb Records. “Winning is important to all of us and there’s nothing better than earning a championship. It was exciting to see Bobby and the team earn consecutive USAC Silver Crown titles at the historic Eldora Speedway.”

Consistency is what enabled East to capture his second Silver Crown title and third in USAC. East, winner of the 2004 USAC National Midget Car Series championship, began this season’s Silver Crown title hunt in May with an eighth-place finish in the season-opener at the Indiana State Fairgrounds, and ended the campaign with one victory, three top-fives and five top-10s in the eight races season.

“These guys are awesome – Brad Mariscotti, my dad (Bob East), Warren Beard, who was with us most of the season, and Marty Williams, who helped us the past few races – everyone is just awesome to work with on this team. We had some ups and downs this season, but we never gave up. I’m proud to have had the opportunity to be the driver of this Chevrolet Performance/Curb car. It’s a privilege to work with such a dedicated team and all of their hard work enabled us to bring our partners, Chevrolet Performance and Curb, as well as our owners, Tony Stewart, Mike Curb and Cary Agajanian, another USAC championship.

“My parents, my sisters and my wife – we’re a racing family. My parents have helped me so much and helped me gain the opportunity to advance in the sport. My dad was, again, a huge part in winning this title. He helped us out not only on the pavement, but on the dirt a lot this year, and his knowledge was definitely an asset in putting two championships in a row together. My wife has been my spotter most of the season and she’s been a great asset as well. My mom has been a huge source of support, as have the rest of my family, and that’s been a big part of our success this year.”

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